Life is Love
by KayKayeLLe
Summary: [[COMPLETED]] Way back in the land of Buffalo, Mary accepts Wilson's marriage proposal.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own nor am I associated with 7th Heaven. The characters and settings in this story belong to Brenda Hampton, Aaron Spelling, Paramount, and The WB.

A/N: I kind of explain everything at the beginning, but just so you know, this is Season 6.

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Life is Love 

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As the year of 2001 began to come to a close in Buffalo, New York, it is the first week of November. Mary was on track with her firefighter's training, but was secretly having second thoughts about the whole thing. In all honesty, she didn't know what she wanted to do in life, but a stay-at-home mom was starting to look pretty good to her.

Wilson had asked her to marry him about a week and a half ago, and it took her completely off guard- despite the fact that she had been asking him to ask her. She hadn't given Wilson an answer yet, and she knew her indecision was breaking his heart. She also didn't know how long she could keep Wilson waiting. He's a good guy and all, but he never really was the type to sit around and wait for her either. After constant internal deliberation, Mary felt she had finally come to a consensus. She was going to accept his proposal- sort of.

"Wilson, I have been thinking," Mary said to him one night when they were alone in his apartment. "You still want to marry me, right?" she said, almost stalling.

"Of course I do. I love you with all my heart and I want you to be my wife."

"Good," Mary said smiling, "because I've decided that I want to be your wife, too."

Wilson didn't give Mary a chance to finish the rest of her speech. His mouth captured hers in a breathtaking kiss, releasing all of the anxiety that had built up inside of him in the past ten days. 'I knew you would," he said beaming as he pulled away from her.

"But," Mary said reluctantly.

"But?" Wilson asked, almost scared to continue to conversation.

"How would you feel about a long engagement?"

"How long?" he inquired.

"A year or two maybe…"

"Why so long?" He had always thought that Mary had really wanted to marry him. A year or two was a very long time.

Mary took Wilson's hand in her own. "Wilson, I love you, and I want to be married to you, but I don't think I'm ready yet. I was thinking we could sort of ease into it, you know? Get closer with the idea of marriage planted in our heads."

Wilson thought for a second. "OK, but are you sure you want to be engaged then? We could just stick to being boyfriend and girlfriend…not pressure."

"But I feel that I'm more than that," Mary confessed. "I don't want to be just your girlfriend anymore- and I don't want you as just my boyfriend. I really want for you to be my fiancé."

Wilson smiled at her. "All right, but only because you put it like that."

"You're OK with this? Really and truly?"

"Really and truly."

"Wow, we're engaged," Mary said as everything began to sink in. she leaned over and kissed Wilson gently before leaning against him. "I love you Wilson."

"And I love you Mary," he replied, running his fingers through her silky California-blonde hair.

***

Over the next two weeks, Wilson noticed that Mary's bubbly personality appeared to have popped. On a normal day, Mary would bounce around his apartment for hours, playing every game imaginable with Billy and sporadically making out with Wilson when she saw fit. Now, she's started to mope around all the time, clinging to Wilson more and more often for comfort. Occasionally, she'd appear happy, but those days didn't come around very often as the days of November passed by. Wilson wanted to ask Mary why she was so down, but didn't know how to approach her. Luckily, he didn't have to. 

Billy was playing with Mary when Wilson went to walk into the room. "Mary, why are you so sad?" he asked innocently.

When Wilson heard this, he stopped at the door.

"I'm not sad Billy," Mary said with drooping eyes.

"Is it Daddy? I'll take care of him," Billy responded heroically. 

"No, it's not your daddy. He's great."

"Is it me then?" Billy said with tears forming in his eyes. It really upset him that Mary wasn't happy with them anymore. He was afraid that she was going to leave them.

"No. What could you do to make me sad?"

Wilson walked into the room, determined to find out what was wrong with Mary. "Billy, could I talk to Mary alone for a second?"

"Sure Dad," Billy said getting up and walked out of the room.

Wilson walked over to Mary and wrapped his arms around her waist. "OK, talk to me. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing's bothering me," Mary said laying her head on his chest.

"Then why do you seem so upset all of the sudden?"

"I'm fine," she insisted.

"Is it me?" Wilson asked sincerely. 

"Do you honestly think you did something?"

"No," Wilson said shaking his head. "Is it Billy?" he said playfully. "I'll take care of him."

Mary giggled, but quickly turned serious. "Look, you'd never upset me without me telling you about it, OK?"

"OK, but…" Wilson said.

"Look, there's nothing to drag out of me," Mary told him, "so please drop it."

"All right," Wilson replied smiling.

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Four days late, Mary was once again over Wilson's apartment.

"So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Wilson casually approached to subject.

"Can we talk about something else please?" she said quickly.

Wilson looked at her strangely. "Why?"

"It's stupid and I don't want to discuss it."

"Is this possibly the same topic that's been bothering you for a while?"

"Maybe," she said looking at the floor.

"Look, I'll make you a deal," Wilson started. "You save us both the time and aggravation and tell me now what's going on with you, and I promise not to bug you about whatever it is."

"Do I have to?" she asked pouting.

"Yes, you have to," he replied pulling her close to him.

"It's nothing, really," Mary pleaded.

"I don't care, you're still telling me."

"Fine. It's just that," she began, "I've been talking with my family lately."

"Yeah?"

"And they're all happy and excited about Thanksgiving and everything. I want to be there. I want to go back to GlenOak."

"For good, or for the holiday?"

"Um, for good. But don't worry. They haven't said that I could go back yet- my grandparents or my parents. And besides, I wouldn't leave anyway- ever."

"Well, that's good to know, but if you really want to go home I'd hate to be the thing that stands in your way."

"It's not you," she told him with a sigh. "You know the circumstances I came to Buffalo on. I din' think it would be right to go home without any sort of invitation."

"But they're you family," he said sincerely. "I'm sure they want you home."

Mary smiled at Wilson's naïveté. She definitely could have used some of that right about then. As he sympathetically pulled her as close to him as humanly possible, all that was on her mind was how she ever could have even considered leaving the safety of his arms to go back to the resentment of her siblings had deep down for her back in the heart of GlenOak.

Wilson, on the other hand, wasn't _quite_ thinking along the same lines as Mary…

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A/N: Well, let's see. I wrote this entire chapter on 19 January 2003, so it is pretty old. I've always liked it, though, and I was bored not writing anything so here it is. This story was kind of what inspired me to write "His China Doll," so picture it kind of going in that direction. Other than that, I hate the title. It is from the The Juliana Theory song "Everything." I like the song, but as a title it needs some work. I might change it.

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Reviews will let me know if you like this first chapter or not, duh!

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	2. Chapter 2

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Eleven o'clock at night on the next day, Mary had just left for the night and Billy was in bed. It was the perfect time for Wilson to execute his plan. It was just 8:00 on the west coast.

"Hello?" a cordial woman said on the other side of the phone.

"Mrs. Camden?" Hi, it's Wilson, Wilson West."

"Hi Wilson," she said sitting down on her bed. "How have you been?"

"Good. And yourself?"

She smiled at his politeness. "I'm fine. What's up?

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about something. I'm not exactly sure if I should be getting in the middle of this, but I guess I don't have that much to lose. You see, Mary's been kind of down lately. She wants to come back to GlenOak for Thanksgiving, but she's afraid that you don't want her there, don't want her home at all."

"That's preposterous. We'd love to have her home, especially for Thanksgiving."

"Great, that's what I thought. I was thinking of buying airline tickets for her and myself to come out there. Would it be OK with you if we came for Thanksgiving?"

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" she gushed. "We'd love to see both of you." Annie paused. "What about Billy?"

"My mother agreed to take him. She hasn't seen him in over a year."

Annie smiled again. "You know, you're a good man Wilson. I really admire you. And you're always such a good influence on Mary; you teach her the right things." 

"Thanks Mrs. Camdens, but Mary's a good influence on me as well. She's everything to me."

***

Three days later, Wilson rang Mary's doorbell at the Colonel's. She opened the door, her wet blonde hair cascading down her robe-clad shoulders. It was obvious that she had just stepped out of her morning shower.

She laughed when she saw him. "Come in, I'll go put something on."

Wilson sat on the couch and waited for Mary to emerge five minutes later. When she entered the room, she looked even more beautiful than before. Wilson stood and Mary went over and kissed his cheek.

"So what's up?" she asked him. 

"I have something for you," he said as she handed her a plain white envelope.

Mary unfolded the top triangle tucked inside and pulled out the contents. Inside were three plane tickets- one for Wilson, one for Billy, and one for herself- for a flight departing from Buffalo and arriving in GlenOak early Thanksgiving morning. She looked up at him questioningly, asking him to explain.

"I talked to your mom, and she said that your family would love to see you for Thanksgiving, so…" He gestured to the tickets in Mary's hands. 

Mary kissed Wilson passionately, grabbing his face in her hands and rubbing her thumbs over the smooth skin of his cheeks. "See, this is why I love you. You're so good to me." She kissed him again, "Thank you. This means a lot to me."

He smiled widely. "You're welcome. And…my mom is going to take Billy because she really wants to se him. So it can be like almost a date… at your parents' house." Mary took his hands. "And speaking of your parents, we can tell them that we're engaged while we're there." Mary looked a little leery. "What?"

"It's just that if I tell my parents- my family- that we're engaged, they'll expect us to get married soon. I don't want to feel pressured by them."

"I won't let anyone pressure you into anything, don't worry." He kissed her once more. It was so hard for him to stop; her lips were so soft and inviting. "So you're OK with this then?"

"Very OK. Happy OK. Appreciative OK." She paused. "These must have cost you a fortune. Thanksgiving is in less than a week."

"That's none of your concern. Besides, you can't put a price on your happiness."

She giggled. "Well, at least I know what to be thankful for this year."

***

Very early Thanksgiving morning, before the sun was up, Mary, Wilson and Billy were seated on an airplane headed back to the hometown that belonged to all three of them. Each row of seats of the plane held three places, a trio to the left of the aisle and a trio to the right. They were seated to the left. Billy had the window seat. He loved to fly and, even though it was dark, didn't want to miss out on any of the action. Mary was in the middle due to Billy's urging. He wanted so desperately to sit next to her. That left Wilson with the aisle seat.

Mary was generally OK with flying, but she had to admit that after September 11th she wasn't all that comfortable with it anymore. It was only a little over two months after the terrorist attacks, and the Terror Alert had been elevated for the holiday. Wilson hadn't flown since that day, either, but he seemed calm. The rest of the plane, however, was on the same boat as Mary. She looked around at the rest of the travelers- they all seemed to be on edge. Flying was always stressful, but this was fear. She noticed all the other passengers were eyeing their flight-mates as they got on the plane, making quick judgment as to whether or not a man with Italian leather luggage or a woman in a business suit were capable of carrying out a horrific act against the country they now held even closer to their hearts. When Mary noticed them doing this, she realized that she had been doing the same thing, too. She knew that it was wrong to judge someone on their appearance, but it was hard to stop.

To divert her attention away from her anxiety, Mary turned her eyes to Wilson. She looked up at his face, then down in his lap and sought out his hand. She grabbed it and squeezed gently. He squeezed back without a word, and she instantly felt safe and loved. He had the uncanny ability to make everything OK. She smiled at him when Billy tapped her shoulder. He was positively giddy over getting to fly. Mary wondered how Billy could have so much energy this early.

"When are we going to take off?" he asked.

"Soon I think, but not for a little while. People are still getting on."

Billy sulked. "They should hurry up. I want to take off right now. Maybe when I'm older, I can be a pilot. Then I can fly you and Dad anywhere you want to go."

"No," Wilson said as he butted himself into their conversation.

"Why not?"

"Because…it's too dangerous and I don't want you to be a pilot."

Mary smiled and shook her head as Billy formulated a comeback. "But what if I was really good at it?"

Wilson smiled at his son's innocence. "You learn how to fly a plane, then we'll talk."

"I could be a good pilot," Billy said, not able to drop the conversation. "I'm not afraid to fly at all." He turned to Mary. "Are you?"

"A little," she confessed.

Wilson compressed his grip on her hand and she turned to face him. "I didn't know that. You going to be OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not afraid to fly, I'm just afraid to fly now," she explained.  He nodded and wrapped his arm around her. "That helps."

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Nearly forty-five minutes later they were up in the air. Mary yawned loudly as the objects on the ground beneath them began to look smaller and smaller with their climbing altitude. Wilson rubbed the side of Mary's arm and she turned to look at him, eyes drooping.

"Are you tired?" 

She nodded. Wilson pushed the armrest between them up and out of the way before pulling Mary against the side of his body. Mary snuggled in beside him and closed her eyes. This was the first time she was actually sleeping next to him- not counting that time when they were just kids. It felt good to have him so close to her and to know that when she opened her eyes he would the first thing she would see. It was just what she needed at the moment.

Within fifteen minutes she was asleep. Billy and Wilson both made sure they stayed quite as to not disturb Mary. About halfway into the flight, Wilson dozed off, too, leaning his head on top of Mary's. Billy looked away from the window and over at the two of them and smiled. As soon as he did that, though, Wilson woke up.

"What?" he whispered to his son.

"Nothing." Billy couldn't wipe the smile off of his face.

Mary remained asleep for the rest of the flight, up until Wilson woke her to relay the message that they would be landing soon. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, getting a grin out of both Wilson and Billy. This was certainly going to be one sweet trip back to GlenOak- sweet enough to land you in the dentist's office with multiple cavities. That was what young engagements were supposed to be like, though- cavity inducing sweet.

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A/N: This chapter didn't' exactly turn out as mushy as I wanted it to be, but I think it was good enough. And I hope the September 11th thing wasn't cheesy- I was trying to make it realistic, especially since they were taking a cross-country flight. I know I'd still be nervous now.

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Write me a review and tell me about all the cavities you got from this chapter. 

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	3. Chapter 3

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Mary and Wilson arrived at the Camden household a little after nine o'clock in the morning. Before reaching their final destination, they stopped at Wilson's parents' house to drop off Billy and Wilson's luggage. Now they were both at the big white house that they had spent much of their time together at; it had been the setting for some of their finer and not-so-finer moments, all of them now looked upon fondly.

They entered through the back door, since they both knew it would be unlocked. Wilson was carrying all of Mary's baggage, which consisted of a larger suitcase and then a smaller weekender bag. Mary opened the door for him and he plopped the bags down inside of the kitchen. Mrs. Camden heard the bags drop and looked up from the turkey and over in their direction.

"Mary! Wilson! Hi!" she shrieked as she stepped toward them. She hugged Mary first, then Wilson.

Before Mary got a chance to speak, a groggy Lucy and Ruthie came down the stairs and into the room, there to lend a hand with the preparations of the meal. They saw their sister and her boyfriend and smiled. Just as Annie did early, they both took turns giving "hello" hugs.

"So…" Wilson said. They were all staring at one another. "Can I put your bags somewhere Mare?"

"Yup, come on." 

Wilson lifted her bags up and followed Mary up the stairs and into the attic bedroom. He placed the bags on the floor near the bed the Camdens had set up for her stay and turned to face her. He smiled at her and she smiled back, nonverbally thanking him for being her personal bellhop. He couldn't help but laugh at he cuteness; she always looked adorable when she was trying to seem appreciative.

"So?" he asked.

"So what?"

"Not what- when."

She rolled her eyes and took his hand. "Later."

"I'll be waiting for your cue," he told her. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her out the door and back down into the kitchen. The quicker they ate, the quicker they would be able to spread their big news.

***

The meal that Thanksgiving Thursday could definitely be considered a feast. The entire table was covered with food that Annie and the rest of the family had prepared. There was yams, mashed potatoes, rolls, stuffing, green beans, peas, corn, cranberry sauce, and of course, the twenty-seven pound turkey. Add that to the desserts that were still in the kitchen, and that is one giant meal. 

The seating was as usual, except for the two additional places. Mary sat next to Lucy, toward the head of the table, and Wilson was on her side. Everyone gathered around, anxious to eat the food they had been preparing since the night before. Once everyone was settled in, Eric said grace like he always did. After that, they still were not allowed to dig in.

"Let's say what we all are thankful for this year," said the reverend. "I'll start." He cleared his throat- mostly for drama rather than productive speech purposes. "I'm thankful for me wonderful family, and that I am blessed enough to be able to do what I love to do in a community that admires and respects me." Everyone smiled. "Wilson?" Eric said, passing the "thankful" baton to his right.

"Well," Wilson reached under the table and found Mary's hand. "I'm thankful for my loving parents, my son," he turned to Mary, "and for Mary. She means more to me than I ever thought she could and I value greatly every second I get to spend with her."

After everyone finished "oohing" and "ahhing," it was Mary's turn to speak. "I'm thankful that Wilson spent his hard-earned money to fly me out here, and that he flew here with me. I'm thankful for my family, whom I love very much," she squeezed Wilson's hand, "and that I've found someone who genuinely cares for me, and someone I feel the same way about." Mary smiled. It felt good to mean everything that she said, especially since tonight would be the night that she was announcing her engagement.

***

Everyone took a slice of their favorite pie- pumpkin, blueberry, apple, or cherry. Annie had really outdone herself that year. Just before everyone was about to dig in, Mary turned to Wilson and nodded.

"Now?" he whispered. 

She smiled at him and stood, pulling him by his hand. "Everyone…before you eat dessert, we have an announcement to make." Mary looked over to Wilson as tears formed in her eyes. She was really doing this, and it felt great. The family looked over at them, all anxious except for a scared Eric and Annie. "We're engaged!" 

The shock that was apparent on the clan's faces quickly gave way to happiness and smiles. Everyone stood, forgetting about the goodies placed in front of them, and made their way over to Wilson and Mary on the side of the table. Eric was first with the hugs since he was the closest to the couple. He squeezed Mary tight, saddened by the prospect of losing his little girl. Then he moved onto Wilson, warning him not to hurt her as they hugged. Lucy followed; she wrapped her arms snuggly around her older sisters shoulders. Then she proceeded over to Wilson to congratulate him. She knew this was something he had always wanted as well. Ruthie was third, followed by Simon. Matt took his turn after his younger brother, happily hugging Mary and patting Wilson on the back. Annie was the last of the brood to get their turn with the couple. With tears streaming down her face, she embraced her eldest daughter, then her fiancée. 

Mary was all smiles as the group sat back down and began to devour their plates. Wilson was happy, too- happy that Mary hadn't backed out and happy at the warm welcome he had received into the Camden family. He always thought they liked him, but now he had the confirmation he had always been looking for.  

"So," Lucy asked, "when's the big day?"

Wilson winced; he knew this would be a touchy subject. "Um, we don't know yet…I don't know yet," Mary responded to her sister. "I don't want to rush into anything and I don't think I'm quite ready yet." She saw their scornful glances. "I love him," she said, feeling the need to defend her decision. "But I just…I don't-" Wilson rubbed Mary's back and she stopped talking to smile nervously.

"That's OK Mary. We wouldn't want you to rush into anything; take all the time you need," Eric said. 

Mary rolled here eyes at her father- she was well aware of his fatherly intentions by that comment. She looked over at Wilson to see if he was OK with her comments, but he didn't let on whether they were good or bad. He gestured to the piece of untouched blueberry pie sitting in front of her. "Yeah, pie," she mumbled and reached for her fork. She took a small chunk of and it put it into her mouth- she had lost her appetite.

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A/N: Well, if I do what I think I am going to have happen in the next chapter, don't expect Mary to get any happier in the next few chapters than she is in the last sentence. Don't worry, though. Her mood will improve…eventually.

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Pie for everyone! Review.

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	4. Chapter 4

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Back in Buffalo, everything had gone back to normal after the holiday. Mary had continued to practically live at Wilson's apartment as the winter progressed- absolutely all of her spare time was spent there. She would even go over there during the day when he was not around, just sitting by herself and thinking about him as she waited for him to get home. Their relationship had definitely gone to the next level of seriousness, and Mary had mixed feelings about that. 

Most of the time she spent alone in his apartment, she sat around imagining what it would be like in that apartment as Wilson's wife and not just his girlfriend or fiancée. She just couldn't see herself that way. Mary didn't think she could ever be able to pull off that much responsibility and make a go of a marriage to Wilson. She knew all to well that love alone does not make a relationship work.

Wilson had been getting used to coming home to Mary waiting for him every night. Unlike her, he didn't need alone time. As a matter of fact, his definition of alone had changed over the weeks to mean himself and Mary. He really loved her and was waiting anxiously for them to be married. That way, he could stop treating their relationship with kid gloves and start settling down with the love of his life.

"I-it's s-s-so c-cold!" Billy exclaimed as he and Wilson walked in the door one night.

Mary stood up and walked over to the two boys. She helped Billy take off his fleece coat and rubbed the side of his arms to warm him up. Even his shirt that was underneath his fleece felt cold to the touch. She then turned her attention to Wilson, kissing his cheek as a greeting. "My gosh you're freezing," she commented as her warm lips touched his skin. She rubbed her hands over his cheeks, then his ears, and then his hands. All of them were positively chilly.

"It's nasty out there," Wilson said. "With the wind chill the weatherman said it's supposed to be at least 10 below, probably more. The high was supposed to be two degrees today."

"I know," she said as she drew him closer to her torso, hoping that some of the heat from her body would transfer over to his. "I hate winter in Buffalo. Besides all the snow, it's just freezing." She sighed. "It would never, ever get like this in California."

"Probably not," he responded as he ran his fingers through the back of her hair, "but you lived in the warm part of California. You go north more and it does get cold." She smiled but didn't say anything. "You miss it there, don't you?" Mary nodded against his chest but didn't say anything. Neither did Wilson- he refused to comment on the subject until she chose to verbally bring it up.

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Mary was planning on leaving that night, like usual, a little after eleven. Billy went to bed around 8:30 generally, and after they put him down Mary and Wilson would stay up in Wilson's room talking for a while. They never seemed to run out of things to say to each other. Mary knew all about every detail that was going on at Wilson's work, his hopes, aspirations, his past- anything and everything she ever could have wanted to know about him. It was nice that he was so open with her. She wasn't that way with him. She wasn't intentionally holding things back from him, but she always was reluctant to volunteer information. Mary would only tell if Wilson asked. 

"You know what I've been wondering?" Wilson asked Mary. "What do you do all day while you're here?"

"Oh, I go snooping through you underwear drawer." They both laughed. "Honestly…I sit around and think."

"About?"

"Lots of stuff- life, my family, you, Billy," she paused, "what it would be like to be married to you."

Wilson picked up her hand off of his comforter. "And what do you think it'll be like?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Some days I can get a clear picture of it, and it's really wonderful. Other days…I just can't see it. Sometimes my mind won't let me picture it." Mary smiled nervously. "That scares me- that I can't picture it. I try to think of myself sitting in your apartment as your wife and not just 'Mary,' and I can't." She felt him squeeze her hand, his way of pressing for more information, but she kept quiet. There was nothing left to say on the matter.

"Maybe…" Wilson said since she wasn't talking, "Maybe you don't see yourself as being married because you never will get married." He looked up at her and saw that her head was down. "Or maybe you don't want to marry me."

Her head sprang up and the hurt in her eyes was highly apparent. She stared at Wilson for a few seconds, making sure that she had heard him correctly. "What?" she asked quietly.

"Do you really want me marry me Mary?"

Tears formed in her eyes. "I wouldn't have accepted your proposal if I didn't want to marry you someday." She let out a sharp breath. "You really think that I don't want to marry you?"

Wilson continued with unbridled courage. "I think that if you really wanted to marry me you wouldn't be having so many doubts."

A tear rolled down Mary's left cheek. "I love you Wilson, really love you- more than anything in this world. I have so much time, not to mention my whole heart invested in this relationship."

"You say all of these things, but I can't help but think that it's all an act. I mean, you say you love me and you try to show it, but-"

"But what Wilson?!" Mary was angry and hurt. "How can you think that I don't love you, even for a second!" More hot tears rolled down her face.

"Well, if you loved me like you say you do, you wouldn't want to be engaged for a year or two." He was not backing down on this. He could see how upset it was making Mary, but he wasn't exactly absorbing it.

Mary stood up and went to the door. "I don't need this, especially from you Wilson." She glared at him. "I, uh… I should go." Mary stormed out of the bedroom and into the living room. She grabbed her olive green coat off of the table and flung the door open, slamming it behind her.

Stunned as to what just had happened, Wilson ran after Mary. He opened the door just as she slammed it. "Mary!" he called out, but she didn't turn around. He watched as she ran down the hall and into the elevator. "I'm sorry!" he called out. But it was too late, she was gone.

Wilson walked back into his apartment and saw Billy standing before him, hands on his hips. "What did you do now?"

***

Wilson considered calling Mary that night, but decided against it. It was late, and she was probably still steamed over the horrible things that he said. What in the world was he thinking? Of course she loved him. If she didn't, she wouldn't have been as hurt as she was when he said that. He saw the vulnerability in her eyes as he clawed at her heart, but he just couldn't stop himself. It was like something possessed him, compelling him to keep on talking until he was finished with what he had to say.

Wilson decided to back off for a little while- let things cool down before he tried to fix it. He decided to stop by the Colonel's on Sunday. He went to ring the doorbell to the house when he noticed a note on the door. The envelope read "Wilson" in Mary's cute handwriting. He skimmed it's contents- Mary wasn't home. She left this morning to go back to GlenOak to be with her family. Signed, "I really do love you, Mary."

***

The Camden family was just sitting down to an early Sunday dinner when the back door to the kitchen flew open. Mary stepped inside of the house; everyone gasped. Bags were under her eyes and she had a slight disheveled appearance about her, but other than that she seemed happy to be home. All that was unimportant, however. Before that, they all noticed the only germane fact: Wilson was not with her. When they had seen her at Thanksgiving two weeks ago, the couple seemed to be completely in love and happy.

"Hi," they all mumbled eventually, stunned by her sudden appearance in the house.

Annie was the only one who was able to pull out of the confused stupor. She walked over to Mary and gave her a hug. As she did this, she noticed Mary's big piece of luggage- the same piece that she had taken with her when she moved out to Buffalo. "What are you doing home all of the sudden?"

"What, I'm not welcome here?" she asked smiling, trying not to answer the question.

"No, no, you are, but-" Annie stopped short as she looked at her daughter curiously.

"Kids, why don't you go upstairs. We'll call you down to eat in a little bit," Eric said to his children who looked like a family of deer caught in headlights. Morosely, they made their way to the staircase and left their parents alone with their sister. "So…" Eric said to Mary. He didn't know how to begin with her without causing a huge rift between them.

"Hi to you, too, Dad," Mary said.

"Hi," Eric said. "What brings you back home Mare? We didn't know you were coming."

"Neither did I until this morning but here I am."

Eric looked to Annie. Tag, she was it. "Where's Wilson?"

Mary sighed, the inevitable question. "Back in Buffalo," she replied to her mother. 

"OK… Did you come home for a reason?"

"Do I need a reason?" she asked Eric.

"Yes."

She shook her head. She had to bite the bullet and explain to them, at least a little bit. "I'm moving back here."

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A/N: This chapter was kind of weird. It was sort of taken off a Prodigal and the stuff before it a little. I don't know if I liked it or not. I think I did, though, and I think the transition was good from her being happy to her being all mad. Wilson will be back, though, don't worry. Other than that, you'll just have to wait and see.

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You know you want to move in with the Camdens, too. Review.

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	5. Chapter 5

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Dinner that day was unusual and tension-filled. Everyone ate in silence, afraid of asking Mary any questions. They all desperately wanted to know why she was home so suddenly, and what had she and Wilson had fought about. No one in that family was stupid; besides the twins, they had all deduced that the young lovebirds had had some sort of a quarrel prior to Mary coming back.

Since they assumed about a possible fight, Mary's attitude confused them. Mary seemed quite happy- happy to be home and happy in general. You couldn't tell that anything was wrong by looking at her.

As they days passed, they all chalked up Mary's weird mind-set to her natural craziness and let her settle into a state of relative normalcy. Mary was happy that they had done that, too. Even her parents weren't bugging her about anything. As the time continued to fly by, Mary started to think about work. She didn't want to have a job, although she knew she should, so she didn't. There was nothing outside of the house that particularly interested her, and she had a decent amount of money saved up to cover her expenses for at least a couple of months. She knew that she should most likely be working to save up for another ticket out to Buffalo eventually, when she was ready to confront Wilson, but she just wasn't in the mood. 

Instead of working, Mary spent her time around the house. She helped her mother with the majority of the housework, and spent plenty of time with her little brothers. When she came back home she realized that they didn't really know who she was. If she were gone tomorrow, in about a week they would forget all about her. She didn't want that to happen; she felt like she needed to become a part of their life. Family had become very important to her. They would never accuse her of not loving them.

Mary also tried to get involved with the rest of her siblings. When Ruthie and Simon came home, she helped them with their homework almost every day. She and Matt had started to play basketball together again after dinner, something they hadn't done since she was a preteen. She also spent a lot of her nights talking with Lucy. They discussed everything from school, to their family, to just life in general. Occasionally, the subject of boys would come up, as it often did with sisters of their age. Mary said very little about Wilson, but when she did she spoke of him forlornly, as if he were out of Mary's reach forever. What she said, though, never sounded bitter or resentful. Obviously, she wasn't angry with Wilson.

***

Since over the course of the seven weeks Mary had been home she had become such a prominent fixture in the family, people started coming up to her and asking for help instead of her having to volunteer herself all of the time to get involved. They valued having her around and hated the thought that they always got in the pit of their stomach whenever they spoke to her- she was not going to be there forever. Matt would, Lucy would, and everyone else would. If not physically, then their spirit would survive within the nuclear unit. Mary was the only one who didn't seem that way.

Ruthie, however, ignored that feeling whenever possible. She would be one of the last to leave, so she felt it the strongest, but didn't let the notion control her life. She was stronger than that. She walked up into the attic bedroom on a Friday afternoon, seeking out both of her older sisters for assistance.

"There's a dance tonight at my school for the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade classes. Everyone's going to look really nice- getting semi-dressed up. Could you guys help me get ready?"

Mary and Lucy got up off of their beds and said in unison, "Sure."

Their first stop was into the closet. Mary and Lucy decided on an outfit for Ruthie- one of the youngsters favorite dress tops, a jean skirt, and a pair of strappy sandals. Nice, they concluded, but not too formal. Ruthie had gotten clearance from her parents for some slight makeup, so next stop was the desk for some hair and face treatment. Lucy was in charge of Ruthie's maquillage, while Mary tended to her chocolate brown locks. 

Ruthie watched in the mirror as Lucy started to look through her collection for a sheer eyeshadow and Mary began to brush her hair.

"Up?" Mary asked Ruthie.

"Sure, whatever. I just want to look nice."

Mary smiled. "You always look nice, we're just…enhancing your beauty."

"Close your eyes," Lucy said.

Ruthie closed her eyes for Lucy's application and felt Mary start to brush her hair upwards. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that Mary had put her hair half-up perfectly. She smiled as Mary combed through the front once more to get smooth down any stray hairs. Something on Mary's finger, though, caught Ruthie's eye. 

"Mary, can I ask you something?" Ruthie said, gingerly backing into the topic.

"Sure kiddo."

"That ring on your right hand…is that your engagement ring?"

Mary froze in the middle of tying Ruthie's hair up and Lucy halted as well. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yes."

"OK," Ruthie said quietly, appeasing Mary's mind by letting her know there would be no further questions around her relationship.

***

In the backyard of the thirty-year-old house surrounded by a white picket fence, Mary aimlessly chucked a basketball at the lonely hoop. She threw the ball at the backboard hard, not even trying to make a basket. The sport had lost all meaning to her anyways, and she knew form experience it was much too hard to play when she was this upset. Her father walked out of the house and passed behind her. He put the trash into the dark green plastic tub and went back toward the house.

Eric gave her a sympathetic look as he walked by, and then went inside, leaving Mary alone with her thoughts for a few moments. Mary turned back to the basketball hoop. She picked the ball up off the ground, and threw it lightly. It traveled through the net effortlessly, without any rim contact. Mary smiled to herself. Perhaps that was a sign of things to come.  

The ball bounced underneath the net, and Mary went over to pick it up. She grasped the ball in her hands, when she could have sworn she heard a noise outside on the driveway, stopping her dead in her tracks. "Maybe it's Matt," she thought. She turned around and walked back to the approximated foul line, when she heard someone approach the back gate. Still thinking it wasn't anyone important, she shot the ball once more. It went in again as she heard the creak of the gate opening. She turned to see whom it was, and was faced with none other than the man who had been ruling her thoughts and running through her mind since the last time she had seen him- Wilson.****

"Hi Mary," he said nonchalantly as he came toward her. His casual attitude made her want to hit him- hit him hard. He obviously had no idea what she was going through. 

The long silence was unnerving. Mary wanted to touch him, for him to touch her and tell her he wanted her back. She didn't know how to approach him, or what his motives were, so she was waiting for him to say something. Actually, she was waiting for an apology. Wilson wasn't saying anything, though, which made her angry and sad at the same time.

She stared at him for at least three minutes, studying his face. She had missed him so much and had forgotten what it was like to have him look at her the way he always did. She thought about what he had said to her the last time they had spoken- "…_if you loved me like you say you do, you wouldn't want to be engaged for a year or two_." She had to prove to him that she loved him. She wasn't going to let him leave until he knew that. 

As she thought about everything more and more, she began to cry. At first it was just a few tears, but that quickly gave way to uncontrollable sobbing. Her vision blurred, she slowly walked toward Wilson. Mary threw her arms around him, squeezing him tighter than she had ever held him before. 

Shocked by her actions, Wilson wrapped his arms around Mary as well. He took a cleansing breath before speaking to her. "I've missed you Mare."

Mary sobbed hysterically into his shoulder. After a minute, she choked out, "I've missed you, too."

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A/N: Aww, boo hoo. Poor Mary and Wilson. So, let's fill you guys in. Wilson is going to stick around for a while…until the end actually. Don't know how this is ending but I know he is staying. Besides that, I like this chapter a lot, especially the M/L/R scene. 

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Oh reviews! I've missed you three.

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	6. Chapter 6

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Mary pulled away from Wilson's loving embrace after she had finally calmed down. It took almost all of her willpower, but she had finally stopped crying. She stood before him and wiped her eyes.

"Let me explain," he said before Mary even had the chance to ask him what he had been up to during the time they had been apart. "I didn't try to call you or anything because I figured you would be too angry at me- that's why I stayed away. I waited until Sunday to come find you, and then I found your note. I…I wanted to hop on a plane and go to you right then. I wanted you back so badly. But, I couldn't just leave. I had no one to watch Billy if I were to go away and I had work. So I thought for a couple of days about what I should do. I considered calling you here for a little while, but I didn't want to do that to you. Besides, I wanted to talk to you in person. I thought you were coming back, but then I talked to your grandfather and when he said you'd left permanently, I lost it. I asked around at work if there was anything I could do in California- they have a big office here. They said I could transfer if I really wanted to, and I did. It took a while for it to clear, but I'm here. I'd choose you over cold and snowy Buffalo any day."

She smiled slightly. "So…so you're moving here?"

Wilson grinned. "Yup. I'm living with my parents now, but as soon as I find my own place I'll definitely be here for good."

Tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. She embraced him in an emotional and tender hug. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear as she placed her chin onto his right shoulder.

He rubbed her arms. "No, thank you- thank you for being so understanding."

"I never said I understood, but I am willing to try and forgive. You mean way too much for me to just throw you out of my life over a few sentences said in the heat of one weird conversation."

"So we're OK?"

"I have to admit, you really hurt me, but we will be OK. We'll just have to work at our relationship for a little bit." She squeezed him. "Just make sure you don't leave me. I don't ever want to be apart from you again. These last few weeks were-"

"Awful," he finished for her.

"Yeah, but it was nice to be home. This is where I need to be right now."

"Then I don't want you anywhere else."

Mary sighed heavily. "Speaking of being here… we should probably talk to my parents and explain to them before everyone starts to gossip." She smiled. "I love them, but they all have big mouths." Wilson didn't look too enthused over the idea. "Don't worry. I'll satisfy their curiosity and then we can be left alone. I'm not going to tell them everything, or what you said. But I have been here for almost two months; they have a right to know."

"I never knew you were so close to your parents," he said as they walked toward the house arm in arm.

She laughed. "If I start telling you not to do drugs, that sex is bad, and to go to church, I blame you."

Wilson laughed heartily at her joke and the two paused for a moment in front of the door. Mary stared deep into Wilson's eyes, and besides the fear that she was already well aware of, Mary saw his love for her. It made her feel better about forgiving him so quickly- like she wasn't being stupid and throwing herself at him just so that she wouldn't be alone. He loved her, and that made all the difference in the world.

The couple walked into the kitchen, startling Eric who had his back to the door. He turned around to see not only his daughter but her fiancée or boyfriend, or whatever he was now, standing next to her. Instantly he was confused. He and the rest of the family were certain that Mary and Wilson had a big falling out and that they were through. Now Wilson was back yet again; he was never going to get away from him.

"Wilson?" he asked, trying to keep his anger he held toward the young man over hurting his first daughter out of his voice.

"Hello Reverend."

"What are you doing here?"

Mary intercepted the question. "Could we talk to you and Mom for a second?"

Eric was apprehensive, but figured this would be interesting nonetheless. "Sure. You're mother's…upstairs with the boys. You can go into the living room. I'll bring her down."

Five minutes later, the group had become and foursome and relocated in the living room. Mary grabbed Wilson's hand and held it tightly before she spoke. He was so nervous that Mary was afraid he was going to run right out of the house and onto the next plane back to Buffalo. That was the last thing anyone needed.  

"So, I am sure you both have been wondering what happened between Wilson and I." Her parent's nodded. "The truth is…we had a fight." She thought about interjecting that it was over nothing or that it wasn't important, but decided against it. That would have been a lie. "I stormed out of his apartment and went back to the Colonel's. He gave me my space and I took that time to think. I realized that I really wanted to be home. I was angry with him and I wanted to see you guys so I left to come to GlenOak."

Wilson took his part in the explanation. "I was really depressed without Mary." Annie smiled amiably at Wilson. She was not as critical as Eric was. I knew she had moved here, but I couldn't just pick up and leave. I was able to get a transfer at work and now I am going to live here so that I can be close to her."

Mary smiled; she did like the sound of that. "He just needs to find a place to live."

Annie practically jumped out of her chair with excitement. Mary and the men looked at her, stunned by her enthusiasm. "The garage apartment!"

Mary's face lit up at her mother's fabulous suggestion. After not having Wilson around for so long, she loved the idea of having him so close to her. It was just what she felt she needed. "Can he?" she asked looking at her parents, and then spun around to face Wilson. "Would you?"

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "What is a 'garage apartment?'"

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"This is unbelievable," Wilson said as he and Mary entered the unfinished room over the garage. "I never would have thought to put an apartment in here."

"Well, you know my mom."

"She did this all by herself?" he asked, spinning around to get the three hundred and sixty degree view of the place. He liked what he saw. The place had potential, and besides that, everyone knew that the one thing important with real estate was "location, location, location." This apartment was in the absolute perfect spot. 

"Pretty much, yeah." Mary bent over to dust off the wood plank flooring and then sat down. "Sit," she commanded, patting the space next to her. 

Wilson did as he is told, and again there was awkward silence. He moved his hands from every which position- on his knees, behind his back, clasped in front of him.

Mary noticed his motions, and smiled. He and Billy often acted a lot alike. "So, would you really live in here? To be honest, I don't think I would have the guts to." Wilson didn't fully comprehend. "My mom once rewired the whole house on a clapper system. For two weeks we had things sporadically turning on and off. It really wasn't a lot of fun dropping the shampoo bottle and having the lights go off in the middle of your shower. Living in here would prove that you have…spunk."

"Are you saying that you don't think I have spunk?"

She smiled. "You going to answer my question or not?"

He thought for a second and then turned his head to face hers. "Would you be OK with me living here?" She nodded. "Then yeah. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but it's perfect. Especially since it is about twenty, thirty feet tops, from your bedroom." She smiled sadly and leaned her head onto his shoulder. Wilson placed his hand on her cheek for a second before moving it to take her hand. "Are you mad at me?" She went to speak but he stopped her. "Be honest."

He could tell that she was reconsidering her answer. After a few minutes he shook her head. "Just hurt and confused. You…all of this…I-"

He rubbed the top of her head. "I should go. It will give you a chance to think; I don't want to overwhelm you Mare." He lightly kissed her forehead and stood. He went over to the exit of the room, but turned back for one final statement. "I hope things won't be weird between us."

She smiled at him as she held back tears, "Me, too."

***

Mary sat down on her cushy bed and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling in deep thought. Lucy came over and sat near Mary's head. She could never get a moments rest in GlenOak.

"So?"

"So what?"

"We all heard Wilson's back. How are you doing? You don't seem to happy."

Mary sat up and looked down at the floor. Confession time. "He makes my heart ache Luce." Lucy was shocked. "I love him, but I don't know if he loves me. I think he does; I thought he did. But if he said that…" She didn't finish her sentence. "If I knew it was going to be like this I would have never accepted his proposal."

Now Lucy was curious. "What's going on? What happened between you two?"

Without reluctance, Mary began to bear her soul to her one and only confidante in this world. "Back in Buffalo, a couple of days before I left, we had a fight. He accused me of not loving him, of having too many doubts and not really wanting to Mary him. I was angry and really upset. I still don't know if that was because I feel so strongly that I do love him and that I do want to marry him, or if it was because he had called me out on what I was subconsciously doing. And he just showed up here now and I know he wants to just forget that he ever said that. He didn't say that but I know that he is thinking it. But I don't think I can do it. And I don't want to be angry with him because I want him around. I was upset to see him come and upset to see him leave. And now he is going to end up moving into the garage apartment. I don't know what to make of that."

Lucy grabbed Mary's hand. "I don't know what to say to you except that I'm here for you if you need any help or you just want to talk." Mary nodded. "He really said all of that to you?" Mary nodded again. "I could get Matt to beat him up for you."

Mary smiled. "That's tempting, but it wouldn't solve anything. I guess I'll just have to spend some more time with him and see if I can really 'forgive and forget' so that we can get through this." Lucy wrapped her arm around Mary's shoulders and pulled her close. "I want it to work out. I love him." Mary started to sob again. Lucy was amazed at the power Wilson had over Mary. She didn't remember the last time something had brought Mary to tears like this. When did everyone grow up and everything become so serious?

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A/N: Well, this chapter started out all "I love Mary and Wilson" and it didn't end that way. It's kind of sad and I guess you could go as far to as to say a little dark, emotionally, but I like it that way. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to end this before, but now I am even more confused.

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Reviews will make Mary's heart stop aching. 

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	7. Chapter 7

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Mary and Wilson walked into the garage apartment after dropping Billy off to be with Wilson's parents for the day. They were eager to spend a Saturday with him, and quite frankly, Mary and Wilson were happy to get rid of him. They both knew what was coming. It had been building up for months, but the tension had strengthened this week. Matt had gotten engaged Wednesday night, of all the weird days of the week to get engaged, and they want the wedding to be as soon as possible. That choice was as much to the dislike of Eric and Annie as it was to Mary. 

When they said that, Wilson just stared at Mary. He didn't say anything; he didn't have to. Mary knew all too well what he was thinking and wasn't in the mood to hear it. Matt's little announcement had made Mary think, though, as it did to Wilson. For the past few days that had worked up their list of reasons and questions in their head. All they had been waiting for was enough alone time to get their points across.

Mary sat opposite of Wilson at the table he had set up in the one-roomed makeshift apartment. "So…now what?" he asked looking at her face. 

Mary glanced up at his face, then quickly darted her eyes to the wall on her right. "We could talk now. I know you've been wanting to, and I have to…kind of. Actually, I wasn't quite looking forward to it but now is as good of a time as any, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess," he commented. Here goes nothing. Wilson reached for Mary's hands and rubbed them gently to calm her before he spoke. "Have you thought about when you wanted to get married?"

She nodded. She really, really didn't want to do this. "I guess I have to be honest with you. I love you, and I respect you, and all of that stuff that I am supposed to feel, but I just don't know if I could marry you." Mary could see the shock on his face without having to look at him. "We have a strong relationship, I can't imagine having it any other way, but something just doesn't feel right between us. I've been trying to suppress feeling like that for a while, but I just can't seem to shake it. It makes me sad." She looked up at him and into his eyes. She could tell by the look on his face that he felt it, too.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He paused for a second and squeezed her hand. "Do you want to try and work through it?"

"Do you think we can?" He shrugged his shoulders and she sighed. "I just don't want to be stringing you along with the hopes of getting married if we can figure out now that that isn't in the cards for us."

"Well, you're not exactly 'string me along.' I like being with you; I want to be with you."

She ran her fingers over the back of his hands. "I feel the same way."

Wilson was starting to get frustrated with her. "So then what are we doing Mary?"

She pulled away from him, upset by how quickly he had snapped at her. "I don't know, OK?"

Wilson stood up and moved his chair so that he was next to her. "I'm sorry." She looked up into his eyes; her Wilson-induced vulnerability never more apparent in her eyes than at that second. His voice turned more compassionate. "Why have you been taking so long, Mare? Why don't you want to get married?"

His voice sounded so sweet and innocent. It was hard for Mary to keep a brave face on, but she tried as hard as she could. "I'm scared. You scare me. Getting married to you scares me. Marriage means responsibility and I have finally gotten my life on track with everything I have to be accountable for now. Getting married would be like starting over and I don't think I can do that. Not to mention having to be able to be in charge of Billy, and work on our marriage, and look after you, and-" Wilson kissed Mary to ease her woes but it did not help. She pushed him away from her slightly. "Don't," she said. She was crying now.

"I think you can do all of that, though. Right now- you're ready."

"That's great," she said unenthusiastically, "but until I believe that I won't be able to marry you. I'm sorry."

"Then I'll wait."

"I feel so bad Wilson. I've kept you waiting for almost year now- a month in Buffalo, the two months we were apart, and then six months since you moved in here."

"Don't." He kissed her cheek. "I love you, and if I have to wait another five years for you I'll do it, because I know you love me back. If you didn't, you wouldn't be putting yourself through all of this. I'll wait until you work through all of your doubt and uncertainty- even if it takes almost forever." He embraced Mary and she let him touch her. Wilson knew that he had gotten off easy- he was so afraid that she was angry with him, or worse yet, that she was going to break things off with him. He felt so lucky to have a fiancée who was so forgiving. He would not have reacted the same way if the roles had been reversed. He and Mary always had had a very special relationship, but then again, she was a very special girl.

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The End 

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A/N: Ack this is really short. I didn't realize it until I was finished with the chap though, sorry! Well, this ended kind of sucky. I went into this chapter intending to break them up, because for all intensive purposes, their relationship was falling apart. But, as you have read, it didn't turn out that way. This chapter is crap and this story ended in a really weird and abrupt way. I didn't know where I was taking this though and I just wanted to be done with it. Sorry guys!

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This ending was like the story committing suicide. You can flame me. I do not mind. 

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